The lineup for the hour-long set was the same as on “Palo Colorado Dream.” Pirog (with his dozen or more effects boxes) was joined by stand-up bassist Michael Formanek, a jazz veteran, and drummer Ches Smith, who’s younger but no less accomplished. While that rhythm section is not subdued on the recording, it was freer and more prominent in concert.
There were a few practical reasons for that. Pirog was unable to layer multiple parts as he does on the album, although he did sometimes duet with loops of his own riffs or add the bleeps and squawks for handheld electronic devices. Also, it’s impossible to overpower the drums in a room as small as the Barrack Rows arts space, although the capacity crowd did absorb some of the thunder.
The principal consideration, however, may have been just that Pirog wanted his accompanists to have fun. The trio played nearly all the album’s tracks, linked into two- or three-part suites, and followed their essential outlines. But the raucous elements became more conspicuous, and the guitarist sometimes seemed the most restrained of the three.
Wearing his trademark cap, Pirog mostly stood perpendicular to the audience, looking toward the other players. Formanek alternately caressed and pawed his bass and sometimes used a bow. Smith played his kit with sticks, mallets, a brush and his hands. At one point, he moistened his fingers and slid them across the head of a tom-tom, yielding a rubbery sound somewhat like a tabla’s. The drummer seemed to want to deconstruct his gear along with the music.
Pirog’s playing, which is more upfront on the album, was less surprising but just as versatile. His style ranged from cool jazz to hot rock, suggesting at various times Robert Fripp, Bill Frisell and Jimi Hendrix. The guitarist, who’s organized performances of Terry Riley’s “In C,” the fountainhead of minimalism, summoned pulsing notes for “Minimalist.” But there were hints of more primal inspirations such as surf music and rockabilly.
“Palo Colorado Dream” was released by Cuneiform, a local label that’s celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Founded when the District had an active prog-rock scene, Cuneiform these days mostly releases music by non-Washingtonians. Pirog, who was accompanied at the Fridge by two New Yorkers, probably can’t rebuild such a musical subculture by himself. But no one who heard him play Sunday night would bet against him.
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